When I first learned how to drive at age 16, highway driving seemed awfully daunting.
“Remember, to check your blind spot before you change lanes!” I remember my parents urgently telling me.
As if there wasn’t enough to remember already, with the turn signal, the high speeds, where the break pedal was, and all the other drivers hurling their cars around at 80mph…
At least when we learn how to drive, the whole blind spot thing is a known, and people warn you about it. However, with other things in life, we are left guessing–unsure of when we aren’t seeing all that is there to be seen.
I find this to be especially true of our houses.
There are things we live with day-in and day-out that “have always been that way.” They may not be particularly lovely, well-designed, or easy to use, but we don’t even question the way it is. Whatever length of time we may have lived in our current house, it is easy to become blind to the possibilities that are right there in front of us.
For example, a pantry that functioned “okay” at the far end of the kitchen caught my eye as I met with my clients last year.
They had talked about renovating their kitchen for many months, but ideas they had considered about simply getting new cabinets and appliances had fallen flat, and they didn’t know why.
I helped them to see that the problem wasn’t only that the room needed updating, but that the way the room related to the other rooms around it was keeping the space from having any sense of flow and connection to the rest of the house. I can’t tell you how important that is!
As the space was opened up during the renovation phase, you could feel the difference the new opening had made in how the rooms functioned, how light was shared from one room to the next, and the changes allowed room for the installation of a new bar area linking the den and the kitchen.
It is a big part of my job as the House Whisperer to help you see around corners, recognize your blind spots, and make you consider questions you didn’t even think to ask.
If you are interested in seeing all the possibilities your home holds, a House Call (an hour-long initial appointment) with me is the first step. Click here to schedule yours!
